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B. S, HARRIS.

SHOE.

No. 536,345. Patented Mar, 26, 1895.

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NITED STATES PATENT (firms.

ELMER S. HARRIS, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,345, dated March 26, 1895.

Application filed June 14, 1894:. Serial No. 514,509- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELMER S. HARRIS, of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a vamp shoe adapted to fit the foot neatly and presenting the appearance of a laced or buttoned shoe, but constructed as hereinafter described, so that it will go on and oi the foot without lacing or unlacing, buttoning or onbuttoning.

The invention consists in a shoe comprising I 5 a vamp, quarters having the lower portions of their front ends attached to the vamp an elastic goring connecting the said quarters and extending across the instep, said goring being adapted to hold the quarters closely 30 against the foot, and an instep-piece extendin g upwardly from the vamp and covering the front ends of said quarters and the elastic goring, so that while said goring holds the quarters snugly against the foot and permits the easy application and removal of the shoe, without unlacing or unfastening, it is concealed from View by the instep-piece, the shoe therefor presenting every appearance of a regular lace or button shoe, the lower portion of said instep-piece being confined as a part of the upper of the shoe, while its upper portion, which covers the elastic connecting- 1 piece, is free to yield to the movements of the said connecting-piece and of the portions of 3 5 the quarters to which the latter is attached, the instep-piece therefore bearing yieldingly upon the instep of the shoe and accommodating itself to the movements of the wearers foot.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a top view of a shoe containing my improvements. Fig. 2 represents a perspective View of the same, a portion of the instep-piece being broken away. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view, showing the instep-piece provided with a lacing. Fig. 4 represents a perspective View, showing the instep-piece provided with buttons. Fig. 5 is a cross section.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

y In the drawingsa represents the vamp, which may be of any suitable pattern.

b I) represent the quarters, which are stitched to the vamp at their forward ends. a

b represents a strip or connecting-piece of elastic goring, which may be of the material 'employed for the goring pieces of Congress gaiters, or any other elastic goring or stitchable substance. Said connecting-piece is attached to the forward ends of the quarters above the vamp, and extends across the instep, its form being such that when the shoe is on the foot the elastic goring piece will be somewhat distended and will exert an inward pull on the sides of the quarter and the adjacent portions of the vamp thus holding said parts closely against the sides of the foot, and allowing one shoe to fit a high or a low instep.

0 represents an instep-piece, the lower portion'of which is attached to the vamp, whilei tsupper portion has free side edges and a free upper edge or end projecting above the vamp. The free portion of the instep p iece is formed to extend across the instep and to cover the front ends of the quarters and the connecting-piece b. The inward pull exerted by the elastic connecting piece on the quarters and vamp imparts a transverse curvature to the free portion of the instep piece, thus not only causing it to conform to the transverse curvature of the instep but also to a certain extent stilfening the instep piece lengthwise so that it isnot liable to rise or stand out from the foot. The instep piece should be constructed so that it has sutficient inherent stiffness tocause it to retain this transverse curvature throughout the length of its free portions, and this may be accomplished by making it of suitably firm leather and providing it with a lining, it being desirable to avoid a limp and flabby construction of this piece.

The instep-piece may be constructed in any suitable way, and may be provided with eyelets and a lacing,'to represent a laced shoe, as 5 shown in Fig. 3; or with an imitation button piece and buttons, to represent a button shoe, as shown in Fig. 4; or may be otherwise treated or ornamented to give any desired effect. The instep-piece rests closely on the instep of the wearer when the shoe is in use, so that the shoe has the appearance of being laced or buttoned when the instep-piece is provided with a lacing or with buttons, and is at the same time adapted to be applied and removed without being unlaced or unbuttoned.

It will be seen that the described construe tion enables the shoe to be readily applied and removed, the elastic piece I) yielding sufliciently for these purposes and giving the shoe every appearance of a lace or button shoe when on the foot.

When the instep-piece is provided with a lacing, I attach to its outer surface two pieces 0' c which are stitched along their outer edges to the instep-piece, their inner edges being unattached and provided with eyelets, said inner edges corresponding to the edges of the quarters in an ordinary laced shoe, and permitting the ready insertion and removal of the lacing, so that the lacing can be inserted and tied in the same manner as in an ordinary laced shoe.

It will be seen that the instep-piece is confined at its lower portion as a part of the upper of the shoe, while its upper portion is free or unconfined, so that while it coversthe front ends of the quarters and the elastic connecting-piece, it bears lightly upon said portions and conforms readily to the movements of the instep portion of the wearers foot.

I am aware that an instep piece has heretofore been placed within two quarters that are connected by elastic pieces extending across the instep, but such inside instep piece differs from mine in that it must be made so loose that when the shoe is in use the instep piece will be more or less wrinkled, causing discomfort to the wearer and presenting an unsightly appearance. My outside instep piece on the other hand being yieldingly held in place but not compressed by external pressure, lies smoothly on the foot.

I claim- A shoe comprising a vamp a, an instep piece 0 attached at its lower portion to the vamp and having free side edges and a free upper edge or end projecting above the vamp, said piece being formed to extend across the instep, quarters b b the forward ends of which extend under the free projecting portion of theinstep piece, and terminate at opposite sides of the median line of therinstep and an elastic connecting piece 19 attached to the forward ends of. the quarters, and extending across the instep under the freeportion of the insteppiece, the said connecting piece yieldingly drawing the quarters and the side portions of the vamp against the sides of the foot and yieldingly holding the instep piece upon the quarters, the external location of the instep piece enabling it to lie smoothly on the foot without wrinkling, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 12th day of June, A. D. 1894.

ELMER S. HARRIS.

Witnesses:

(1- F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON. 

